This has become a hot topic lately, a few people have ordered or are about to order an upgraded rear arb and many more are asking about it so I reckon it would be helpful to have this information gathered in one thread, instead of scattered in various (sometimes not even related) threads. Information about possible options, installation and reviews of-course.

I've went for the H&R 25mm one, the model number for the 2.0T 272/280 AWD cars is: 33581 HA5. 

The model number for the 2.0T 220 FWD is: 33851 HA for the 24mm one and: 33851 HA2 for the 26mm one (apparently the FWD has two options)

The bar already arrived today but I will hold off installation until I get the replacement OEM bolts and nuts on Monday, needed for the job. Below is the illustration of the items from the Skoda manual as well as a small table I made with all the involved fasteners for upgrading the rear arb and end-links (if needed), numbers and torque figures.




FASTENERS INVOLVED:

 

# in Skoda manual	Title	OEM No.	Torque	Quantity	REPLACE	Tool
#4	Bushing bolts M8x30	N10765801	20Nm+90	4x	YES	Triple square No.10
#6	ARB to droplink self_locking nut	N10286110	55Nm	2x	NO	16mm socket + Triple square No.6 for inner screw
#5	Hex head bolt M8x85	N10776501	-	2x	YES	13mm socket
#2	Hex nut	N90183804	20Nm+180	2x	YES	13mm socket

UPDATE:  Link of a very clear video of the installation on a Mk7.5 Golf R (identical setup)
 

 

Edited 23 April, 20206 yr by newbie69

So the bar is here




 and while studying the installation which seems rather straight-forward it got me thinking: Does any-one know if the end-link is allowed to pivot around its bottom bolt (#5 in the illustration above) when the bolt is fully fastened?  Reason is not really the replacement cost but whether I could avoid touching that bolt completely since I don't replace the end-links. I prefer to work on the minimum items necessary usually.

In this video it shows exactly the pivoting that I am thinking of for removing the arb from the end-links BUT in that case the bolt had already been loosened so I am not sure if there is some bearing in the cylinder that allows the end-link to pivot regardless of the bolt being fastened or not, or whether the pivoting is only possible after you loosen the bolt, in which case it means it needs to be undone and replaced 

The 3 times that I’ve done springs on the octy and two superb as I’ve always removed the Drop link bolt from the bottom arm and never replaced it with a new one and never had it come loose. I leave it alone remove it from arb and if it needs loosening it’ll be 1 thread to get it to move. Then nip it back up once new one is in 

From what I remember about the arb bushes you have to remove some other parts to get to the bolts to remove the clamps. Can’t remember off hand what parts need to move. 

1 minute ago, Esseesse200 said:

The 3 times that I’ve done springs on the octy and two superb as I’ve always removed the Drop link bolt from the bottom arm and never replaced it with a new one and never had it come loose. I leave it alone remove it from arb and if it needs loosening it’ll be 1 thread to get it to move. Then nip it back up once new one is in 

To be honest, I've done arb's and other jobs when I was younger without replacing a single bolt when I should have  and never noticed any issues after. However, over the years I've adopted a more serious approach to these jobs, prepare everything in advance, do it right, don't rush it, and follow good engineering practice as I do in my job so, any one-time fasteners are being replaced as a matter of principle nowadays. It's not as if it will make any difference in cost or time anyway, just curious as to whether the end-link can move freely even when the bottom bolt is secured. I will probably go out and try just that tomorrow, then I'll know exactly which ones I'm working on.

 

10 minutes ago, Esseesse200 said:

From what I remember about the arb bushes you have to remove some other parts to get to the bolts to remove the clamps. Can’t remember off hand what parts need to move. 

Going by the videos as well as the Skoda instructions for the Superb/MK7, you basically have direct access to the triple square bush bolts. The order is more a matter of preference it seems, you can start either from the drop-link bolt or the drop-link top nut or the bush bolts. Overall it's rather straight-forward, the only issue for AWD cars is whether you'll be able to get the arb in and out over the exhaust without lowering it. It is theoretically feasible, but reality proves sometimes different.

9 minutes ago, newbie69 said:

To be honest, I've done arb's and other jobs when I was younger without replacing a single bolt when I should have  and never noticed any issues after. However, over the years I've adopted a more serious approach to these jobs, prepare everything in advance, do it right, don't rush it, and follow good engineering practice as I do in my job so, any one-time fasteners are being replaced as a matter of principle nowadays. It's not as if it will make any difference in cost or time anyway, just curious as to whether the end-link can move freely even when the bottom bolt is secured. I will probably go out and try just that tomorrow, then I'll know exactly which ones I'm working on.

 

Going by the videos as well as the Skoda instructions for the Superb/MK7, you basically have direct access to the triple square bush bolts. The order is more a matter of preference it seems, you can start either from the drop-link bolt or the drop-link top nut or the bush bolts. Overall it's rather straight-forward, the only issue for AWD cars is whether you'll be able to get the arb in and out over the exhaust without lowering it. It is theoretically feasible, but reality proves sometimes different.

Yea totally agree wit that mate. Makes sense. The bolts are accessible but Is there enough room for the bolt to come out far enough ?. 
Looking at the price or the rarb I reckon this will be the next mod no doubt 👍🏻

Just ignore that. I think it’s the bolt for one of the top arms that’s a bugger tI get out 

29 minutes ago, Esseesse200 said:

Yea totally agree wit that mate. Makes sense. The bolts are accessible but Is there enough room for the bolt to come out far enough ?. 
Looking at the price or the rarb I reckon this will be the next mod no doubt 👍🏻

 

 

6 minutes ago, Esseesse200 said:

Just ignore that. I think it’s the bolt for one of the top arms that’s a bugger tI get out 

You're not entirely wrong though. With the car up and the wheels fully suspended, you will end up in the situation shown in the picture below:



As you can see, the lower bolt is accesible but the top one is blocked by the drive-shaft. On Skoda's manual this is not mentioned at all and in fact the first step is to just go ahead and remove those bolts, probably because on Skoda's instructions you should be working with the wheels pushed up to their "normal" height (the car's unladen state) to avoid extra stress on the bushes.

The solution shown in the video too, is to raise that wheel with a jack, just enough to raise the shaft a bit and give you access to the bolt, then you're good to go.

Edited 23 April, 20206 yr by newbie69

9 minutes ago, newbie69 said:

 

 

You're not entirely wrong though. With the car up and the wheels fully suspended, you will end up in the situation shown in the picture below:



As you can see, the lower bolt is accesible but the top one is blocked by the drive-shaft. On Skoda's manual this is not mentioned at all and in fact the first step is to just go ahead and remove those bolts, probably because on Skoda's instructions you should be working with the wheels pushed up to their "normal" height (the car's unladen state) to avoid extra stress on the bushes.

The solution shown in the video too, is to raise that wheel with a jack, just enough to raise the shaft a bit and give you access to the bolt, then you're good to go.

Ahhhh yea that’s Cool. I was that trailing arm bolt right next to it I think was the pita.. Any chance you could post the link to that vid up or pm me it mate please 

g

15 minutes ago, Esseesse200 said:

Ahhhh yea that’s Cool. I was that trailing arm bolt right next to it I think was the pita.. Any chance you could post the link to that vid up or pm me it mate please 

g

Sure! I just added it in the original post 

3 hours ago, newbie69 said:

Does any-one know if the end-link is allowed to pivot around its bottom bolt (#5 in the illustration above) when the bolt is fully fastened?  Reason is not really the replacement cost but whether I could avoid touching that bolt completely since I don't replace the end-links. I prefer to work on the minimum items necessary usually.

In this video it shows exactly the pivoting that I am thinking of for removing the arb from the end-links BUT in that case the bolt had already been loosened so I am not sure if there is some bearing in the cylinder that allows the end-link to pivot regardless of the bolt being fastened or not, or whether the pivoting is only possible after you loosen the bolt, in which case it means it needs to be undone and replaced 

 

I saw this video, and he spends a fair bit of time explaining how the end links work and how to remove them.

Fast forward to 7:30 in the video.

 

 

10 hours ago, JR RS said:

 

I saw this video, and he spends a fair bit of time explaining how the end links work and how to remove them.

Fast forward to 7:30 in the video.

 

I saw that too and he shows all the pieces involved as you say. Still, it doesn't adress my question of whether the bottom pivoting is related to the torqueing of the bottom bolt or it happens anyway.

He also takes an unusual approach of removing the bar with the end links on, whereas eveyrbody else removes them independently. It might be ok on a FWD GTI as the one he's working on, but on the AWD modoels it'll probably be impossible for the arb to clear the exhaust with the links still on.

I plan an investigation today to sort this, while waiting for my dealership to bring the replacement bolts and nuts.

INSTALLATION

I installed the arb today using my local DIY car lift. It is probably a 45min job for the casual DIY-er but it took me a bit over 1.5hr as I came across some issues which were little or not at all documented in the videos I had seen (as is always the case when you take on these "simple" YT jobs yourself  ) and I had to come up with work-arounds while not being at my place and not having access to all my equipment at home. Here is my experience and tips to whoever installs this on their own:


The main cause for the first two issues was that once the car was on the lift with its wheels fully suspended, the extension of the springs was such that not only the top screw of the arb bushing shown a few posts above was blocked by the drive shafts (I expected this from the Golf R video posted on the 1st post), but also, a
coil of the spring was basically right in the triple square socket's way (where the arb attaches to the end-link). In the pic below of the Golf R, the guy has clear access to that inner screw through the spring - well on my car the spring was right where the socket is in the pic hence not possible to counter hold the inner triple square as you need to do: 




Ok, so I clearly needed to apply the solution suggested also for the blocking drive shafts couple of posts back: Raise the wheel with a jack until the spring gets out of the way. But of-course I didn't have a 1m high jack with me and also, the floor of the lift shop was an ugly mess of sand and oil from the previous users so I definitely didn't want to lower the entire lift/car so low for the jack (at ground level) to be able to lift the wheel as that would mean I'd have to work lying down on that floor.  I though this was a game stopper, but a typical wooden palette was lying there



and I put it up standing at 1m, while lowering the lift a bit in order for it to catch the wheel and compress the spring (a lift shop guy kept it in place until it was caught by the wheel). The setup, once rigidly blocked was much sturdier than described... I mentioned this as you would want to foresee your plan for lifting the wheels, it's an essential action for several of the involved steps it seems.

So with that palette lifting each wheel as needed, after a while I had the arb unbolted and moving freely above the exhaust. Now in the videos for AWD cars they say you don't absolutely need to lower the exhaust but that it helps and that's why people go ahead and lower it. I tried to avoid that and it seems almost impossible to get the arb out without lowering the cat-back. I was ready to give up and look up how can the exhaust be lowered but from a random but lucky combination of twists, pulls, twists, pushes, more twists etc. etc. it somehow came out, only just clearing the exhaust pipe and the rear diff. So if you give this a go, be patient, know that it's possible to succeed without lowering the exhaust but that it's not a straight-forward task and you need to keep trying combos of small twists and displacements for a while until you find (or come across by chance...) the one combo leading to victory. Otherwise if you're comfortable messing with the exhaust just go ahead and spare yourself from the arb Tetris.

Once the arb was out, a decent hammer was needed to get the steel brackets out of the stock bushes as they need to be re-used. Don't forget to grease the inner surface of the new bushes, some companies provide that grease so you can't miss that step, H&R doesn't so I remembered to use a generic one I had.



Putting everything back together: 

The new arb is thicker, so if you, like myself, haven't lowered the exhaust to make some space, you are working with even less play than when removing the stock one. Still after some tries it went in and at that point I knew I'd be going home soon . The only two remarks I have for the re-installation:

a) You need again to raise each wheel slightly both for getting access to the blocked screws at the arb bushings and end-links, but also for connecting the end-link spherical bearing screw to the arb as otherwise it seems as if the arb is wrongly designed by having a shorter arm than needed (it doesn't, you just need to get the wheel up a bit). Also it's better for the longevity of all the elastic items to tighten everything while the wheel is at or close to its operating height and not when it's suspended at the lift in full extension.

b) The nut going over the inner triple square screw in the 1st photo of this post is re-used and supposed to be tightened to 55Nm but obviously my (yours also probably) standard torque wrench cannot do that as at the same time you need to counter-hold the inner screw. Maybe via some special "open wrench" bit as opposed to the typical hex sockets?? I have no idea although I'd like to know what you can use in such cases if anyone knows. But even if you could get the counter holding bit through the torque wrench though, there is again the spring that does not provide space for such bulky item as a 55Nm rated torque wrench to be used there so...   
What I did was to try and tighten it as much as I felt was tightened originally (a healthy amount of torque is needed) and let it be.


Driving on my way back no weird noises/creaks/clonks  were heard from the rear axle, even when going over our garage ramp at an angle which is quite high and not particular suspension friendly. There was only a round-about in my trip but too busy around 1pm so my proper review at the right roads will need to wait for tonight or tomorrow. During this normal daily driving you would absolutely have no clue the arb was upgraded, it's not "close to OEM" it is OEM. Nothing feels different in these conditions.

On the one bend where the conditions allowed a briskier attach though, I noticed that after that tiny bit of initial lean, the car felt as if it "locked" in that position despite keep burying the throttle, it just wouldn't lean more 🙂  Which is a very promising sign for later when I will be able to properly load the suspension... So check back for the driving review.

PS. Sorry for the lack of pics but it's hardly an impressive sight I think, just a  (thicker) blue bar instead of a black one, lol, plus I was short of enough disposable gloves and couldn't waste them for taking pics...

 

Edited 27 April, 20206 yr by newbie69

Great guide and good use of the pallet. 👍🏻 I’m thinking for a bit of time spent lying on my back on the drive it might be advantageous For me to use ramps and axle stands and another jack under the bottom arms to jack up and down the rear wheels accordingly to get all said bolts out. I’ll leave ordering until next month I think then see where we are at. Sounds like it will make a huge difference though. Awesome 

So I just came back from my first drive after the upgrade and it is exactly what I expected it to be: A huge improvement without practically zero drawbacks. It's amazing how much a single, simple and so affordable upgrade can transform your FWD/front biased AWD car 
 

Obviously, my findings apply to the Sportline DCC saloon 272. Variants of different body type/ without DCC / non-Sportlines might see slightly different results I guess but the main point should remain.
 

In short, with the upgraded swaybar and the DCC set to Sport it's a new car with almost hot hatch feeling. The tightening of the turn-in and elimination of the ever increasing body roll as you are pushing through a corner complement the factory Sport Mode and, at least on the Sportline's configuration of DCC settings and springs which is firmer than the L&K, it probably negates the need to upgrade springs or dampers completely, at least for the cornering department, it's that much better now.  That seems like a big plus in regard of tuning costs. On the other hand, the fact that you now drive a more capable car that enjoys being chucked around might open up a previously irrelevant area of mods and activities, meaning further power, suspension, brakes upgrades, even the occasional track visit ( I already thought of revisiting my local track for a casual comparison with past cars-times....)  as you now have a decent baseline that is not only about power.


Digging in some more, I had written that I liked how the ride was tightening up when selecting Sport mode but that there was still room for improvement. It is now clear to me that that improvement was not an even firmer setup overall but just a stiffening of the rear axle. Before, during a fast corner the car would start leaning and then increase that lean (even if in smaller amounts in Sport) until mid corner where the lateral loads would back down. What happens now is that there is the same initial lean (there is still some weight transfer which is a good thing actually), but after that short phase the car enters a fixed/locked "roll state" and goes through the corner without the additional body roll you've come to expect so far, despite even you increasing throttle or tightening your line (up to physic's limits of-course).  In particular, the most noticeable thing for me was how much more obedient the car is in your steering input. You turn the wheel and it now just leans a bit and darts through no questions asked. Quick direction changes and fast, wide corners are sure to bring smiles on your face as you can now really attack and don't have to scrub off speed like before. One word of caution though: Given the car is now cornering much flatter, the limit is harder to distinguish so when it's reached you need to be prepared for quick and more abrupt corrections, especially with the ESP in its weaker setting. That should only be a concern for track driving or if you a real lunatic, but just a heads-up.


Keep in mind, the above findings apply to when you're pushing on and start loading up the suspension, so don't expect your normal city driving to feel any different at all. But the take home message is that essentially the car gained an aspect that was previously missing. Corners are now opportunities for fun rather than pauses between straight line blasts so if your complaints about the standard car is the behavior at the bends forget springs and coilovers and try this first. If you're like me, expect to want to go out for a drive just for the sake of it (already planning a twisty drive at the suburbs this weekend).

 

Edited 28 April, 20206 yr by newbie69

Nice work @newbie69 👏🏻

 

Some great info, thanks!

 

I’ve got the Eibach pro kit on its way along with a 22mm Powerflex ARB and after your findings twinned with some info from other research I think I will first try an ARB before committing to changing the springs. 

 

Now I’m still unsure however if the 22mm is the better choice vs the 24mm. I know there will be an improvement over stock regardless as the 22mm Powerflex is solid rather than hollow, like stock but I’m just not sure if the 22mm will be more predictable and less likely to catch me out vs the 24mm

 

 

Great review @newbie69 - thank u.

 

I can't wait to get mine installed next Friday.

 

My Hardrace 25.4mm rear sway bar is currently with the courier company, enroute to my address.

7 minutes ago, JR RS said:

Great review @newbie69 - thank u.

 

I can't wait to get mine installed next Friday.

 

My Hardrace 25.4mm rear sway bar is currently with the courier company, enroute to my address.

Looking forward to hearing your findings.  Especially twinned with that Eibach kit.  😀

Ever so slightly off-topic: 

Bloody typical! The minute I commit to changing the Superb is when it becomes interesting with other owners making tasteful mods to improve some of (the very few) negatives about the Superb.  Ride and handling, in this case. 

 

Good job a lot of the mods/upgrades are applicable to/available for my next car and should give me even more of a knowledge pool to dive in to.  Another benefit of the MQB architecture.  Great stuff 👍

 

 

Just now, penguin17 said:

Looking forward to hearing your findings.  Especially twinned with that Eibach kit.  😀

Exactly. I was going to say that I was curious to see how it will work on a L&K but then I remembered he runs the Eibach springs which I think can only amplify the arb's effect.

As I said for me the car now when driven in Sport strikes a nearly perfect balance of firmness, response and comfort for what it is. I'm interested to see if the same is true for an L&K on Eibachs which should be pretty close to the Sportline DCC's behavior.

Just now, newbie69 said:

Exactly. I was going to say that I was curious to see how it will work on a L&K but then I remembered he runs the Eibach springs which I think can only amplify the arb's effect.

As I said for me the car now when driven in Sport strikes a nearly perfect balance of firmness, response and comfort for what it is. I'm interested to see if the same is true for an L&K on Eibachs which should be pretty close to the Sportline DCC's behavior.

I"m also interested to know if the Eibach's (or similar) spring rate works any differently with the dampening of the DCC system vs the traditional, passive system.  

  

Just now, penguin17 said:

Ever so slightly off-topic: 

Bloody typical! The minute I commit to changing the Superb is when it becomes interesting with other owners making tasteful mods to improve some of (the very few) negatives about the Superb.  Ride and handling, in this case. 

 

Good job a lot of the mods/upgrades are applicable to/available for my next car and should give me even more of a knowledge pool to dive in to.  Another benefit of the MQB architecture.  Great stuff 👍

 

 

No real reason to worry though is there?  Based on my test drive on the R couple years back I bet you the rear arb will be as beneficial to the R estate as it is on the Superb, already R hatch owners have stated their huge approval of it and it should be the exact same model that is compatible with both cars I believe so a direct carry over.

Definitely the 22mm will be closer to stock behavior than a 24mm one (if both solid) so less likely to catch you out. However, my initial impression of the 25mm H&R is that it's still pretty predictable unless really driving like a hooligan so I would see no reason to go for a milder model. But I'll come back to this after I have put more miles on.

 

1 minute ago, newbie69 said:

  

No real reason to worry though is there?  Based on my test drive on the R couple years back I bet you the rear arb will be as beneficial to the R estate as it is on the Superb, already R hatch owners have stated their huge approval of it and it should be the exact same model that is compatible with both cars I believe so a direct carry over.

Definitely the 22mm will be closer to stock behavior than a 24mm one (if both solid) so less likely to catch you out. However, my initial impression of the 25mm H&R is that it's still pretty predictable unless really driving like a hooligan so I would see no reason to go for a milder model. But I'll come back to this after I have put more miles on.

 

My ARB (and possibly the springs) are destined for the Golf 😃  The only things I'm doing with the Superb for now are keeping it clean and keeping the battery ticking over.  I have a box of parts and mods ready for the R and another few bits and bobs in the pipeline.  Lockdown is a stark reminder that life is too short!

 

Do you think that there would be much difference between a 22mm bar on it's harder setting and a 24mm bar on it's softer setting? 

3 minutes ago, penguin17 said:

My ARB (and possibly the springs) are destined for the Golf 😃  The only things I'm doing with the Superb for now are keeping it clean and keeping the battery ticking over.  I have a box of parts and mods ready for the R and another few bits and bobs in the pipeline.  Lockdown is a stark reminder that life is too short!

 

Do you think that there would be much difference between a 22mm bar on it's harder setting and a 24mm bar on it's softer setting? 

Sounds like a good plan!

I don't have the data for such a comparison really but I doubt anyone would use one at its softer setting. My view on the arb's adjust-ability overall is that they are more of a marketing trick rather than an actual need. I mean sure options are good but who is racing their cars and daily-ing them with such a frequency to justify messing with the stiffness setting all the time? And it's not as if on Hard they are that aggressive either. I had the Whiteline 3-way adjustable in the past. I put it on Medium setting first, realized it was still behaving fine and switched to Hard and forgot all about it thereafter, never had an issue with it either on a public road or the track. It's not like a suspension where you feel the firmness everywhere and want to turn it up n down depending on the driving scenario.

I came across this graph showing the difference between Superpro's 22mm rear sway bar in both positions Vs. the stock, hollow OEM bar: